Parenting experiences of marriage immigrant women in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive phenomenological study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the experiential meaning of child-rearing for marriage immigrant women in Korea in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: Using the hermeneutic descriptive phenomenology framework developed by Colaizzi, 10 marriage immigrant women rearing preschool and school-age children were invited through purposive and snowball sampling from two multicultural support centers in Korea. The participants were rearing one or two children, and their original nationalities were Vietnamese, Japanese, Cambodian, and Chinese. Individual in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted from September 1 to November 30, 2021. We extracted significant statements from the transcripts, transformed these into abstract formulations, and organized them into theme clusters and themes to authentically capture the essence of the participants' subjective experiences. RESULTS: Four theme clusters with 14 themes were derived. The four theme clusters identified were "navigating child healthcare alone," "guilt for not providing a social experience," "worry about media-dependent parenting," and "feelings of incompleteness and exclusion." This study explored the perspectives of mothers raising children as marriage migrant women who experienced physical and emotional health crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The findings underscore that marriage immigrant women encountered heightened challenges in managing their children's health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic due to linguistic and cultural barriers limiting access to healthcare and information. Additionally, these women experienced considerable emotional stress from perceived inadequacies in providing a holistic social and developmental environment for their children under extensive social restrictions.

Comparisons between Caucasian-validated photo-numeric scales and Korean-validated photo-numeric scales for photo-ageing. Insights from the Singapore/Malaysia cross-sectional genetics epidemiology study (SMCGES) cohort.

BACKGROUND: Photo-ageing is a form of skin ageing which affects the entire face. A photo-aged skin has a diverse variety of wrinkles and dyspigmentation all over the face. Here, we discuss photo-ageing on the Chinese skin evaluated using a photo-numeric scale developed and validated on Caucasian skin (i.e., Caucasian scale) and evaluated using a photo-numeric scale developed and validated on Korean skin (i.e., Korean scale). The Korean scale can be subdivided into two scales that separately address the wrinkling and dyspigmentation constituents of photo-ageing. AIM: As there are currently no photo-ageing scales for Chinese skin, the main objective of this study is to adapt existing photo-ageing photo-numeric scales for use on ethnic Chinese skin. METHOD: Three trained assessors studied facial photo-ageing on 1,081 ethnic Chinese young adults from the Singapore/Malaysia Cross-sectional Genetics Epidemiology Study (SMCGES) cohort. RESULTS: All assessors are highly internally consistent (Weighted Kappa (κw) values≥0.952). We found that the Caucasian scale and Korean scale give nearly synonymous results for the wrinkling constituent of photo-ageing (R2 = 0.9386). The two scales are strongly concordant (Spearman's Rank Correlation (ρ) value: 0.62 ± 0.06, p = 1.31×10-84). A weak-to-moderate inter-scalar level of agreement (Cohen's Kappa (κ) values: 0.38 ± 0.05, p = 8.87×10-53) persists and is statistically significant after accounting for agreements due to chance. When tested on ethnic Chinese skin, both scales detect photo-ageing consistently (Area under curve [AUC] values: 0.76-0.84). Additionally, the Korean scale for the dyspigmentation constituent of photo-ageing is concordant with both the Caucasian scale (R2 = 0.7888) and the Korean scale for the wrinkling constituent of photo-ageing (R2 = 0.7734). CONCLUSION: Our results show that the Caucasian scale is suitable for capturing photo-ageing on Chinese skin, especially wrinkle variations. The Korean dyspigmentation scale supplements the Caucasian scale to capture dyspigmentation patterns on Chinese skin that may be absent on Caucasian skin. Currently, photo-ageing scales for Chinese skin are absent. When developed, these photo-ageing scales must be properly validated for their ability to capture photo-ageing of the entire face.

Depression Literacy and Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Self-Rated Mental Health Among Korean Americans.

OBJECTIVE: Depression literacy (DL) is increasingly recognized as an important predictor of mental health outcomes, but there remains a noticeable lack of scientific inquiry focusing on Korean Americans in this area. In addition, women are known to be more susceptible to depression, potentially affecting their DL and depressive symptoms differently than men. This study aimed to explore two primary objectives: (1) the potential role of self-rated mental health (SRMH) in mediating the association between DL and depressive symptoms in this population, and (2) whether gender differences exist in the presence and magnitudes of these mediation effects. METHOD: Data were drawn from a survey with 693 Korean Americans aged 18 and older residing in New York and New Jersey. The PROCESS macro was used to test the mediation effect of self-rated mental health on the relationship between depression literacy and depressive symptoms in men and women. RESULTS: Self-rated mental health was found to mediate the relation between depression literacy and depressive symptoms in women but not in men. CONCLUSIONS: Providing evidence-informed, culturally tailored and gender specific depression literacy education and programs for the KA communities may be an important strategy to reduce depressive symptoms in this group.

Childhood and Midlife Cultural Awareness and Activity Engagement Among Korean Married Couples.

OBJECTIVES: Cultural reproduction theory posits that cultural resources are transmitted across generations, suggesting early parental influences on cultural experiences in adulthood. Further, cultural resources may be transferred within the same generation-through significant others, such as spouses. This study investigates cultural engagement among middle-aged adults, focusing on individual and spousal influences of childhood cultural engagement. METHODS: A sample of 1,271 couples (age 49-66) from the 2012 Korean Baby Boomer Panel Study and the Korean Forgotten Generation Study was analyzed. Each respondent reported the number of arts and cultural activities (e.g., paintings, literature, and classical music) and levels of perceived cultural engagement (i.e., cultural awareness) during childhood and at midlife. Actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) were estimated to examine how spouses' childhood and midlife cultural engagement were linked within couples. RESULTS: Findings showed that wives reported higher levels of activity participation and cultural awareness in childhood and midlife, compared to husbands. The APIM results indicated that beyond one's own childhood cultural engagement, spouse's childhood cultural awareness was associated with both levels of participation in arts and cultural activities (only for husbands) and cultural awareness (for both husbands and wives) at midlife. DISCUSSION: Cultural activities and awareness can be valuable assets to enhance overall well-being in later life. Given the cross-spousal associations in cultural engagement among Korean middle-aged couples, both spouses' cultural resources need to be considered for the design of interventions and policies to cultivate cultural competence and promote cultural engagement in adulthood.

The changes in biethnic acceptance across daily settings and biethnic adolescents' psychological well-being during middle school transition.

INTRODUCTION: Patterns of biethnic adolescents' perceived biethnic acceptance across families, peers, and school contexts were examined during the transition from elementary to middle school in South Korea. We also examined how the transition patterns were related to their psychological outcomes during this period. METHODS: Utilizing 2-wave data (2017 and 2019) from the Panel Survey of Korean Multicultural Youth Adjustment, a latent transition analysis was conducted. Participants were biethnic adolescents who were in 5th or 6th grade at Wave 1 (N = 245; 51.02% female; Mage = 11.38). Their fathers were Korean, and mothers were immigrants from neighboring countries. Familial ethnic socialization, peer discrimination, and school multicultural climate scores were used as indicators of biethnic acceptance. Outcomes of self-esteem, depression, and biethnic affirmation were also examined. RESULTS: Latent profile and transition analyses yielded two groups (i.e., high acceptance and low acceptance) at each wave and four transition patterns (i.e., high-high, low-high, low-low, and high-low). Compared to high-high group, which was the most prevalent group, low-low and high-low groups reported lower self-esteem and ethnic affirmation, and greater depression at Wave 3. CONCLUSIONS: While for the majority of participants, their daily settings continued to be high in biethnic acceptance across the transition period, most at risk were those who perceived a decrease in biethnic acceptance in their daily settings. Results shed light on the need for support to maintain the context of high biethnic acceptance surrounding biethnic adolescents for their psychological well-being in school transitions.

Supportive Care Needs in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean Americans With Metastatic Cancer: Mixed Methods Protocol for the DAWN Study.

BACKGROUND: Asian Americans with metastatic cancer are an understudied population. The Describing Asian American Well-Being and Needs in Cancer (DAWN) Study was designed to understand the supportive care needs of Chinese-, Vietnamese-, and Korean-descent (CVK) patients with metastatic cancer. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to present the DAWN Study protocol involving a primarily qualitative, convergent, mixed methods study from multiple perspectives (patients or survivors, caregivers, and health care professionals). METHODS: CVK Americans diagnosed with solid-tumor metastatic cancer and their caregivers were recruited nationwide through various means (registries, community outreach newsletters, newspapers, radio advertisements, etc). Potentially eligible individuals were screened and consented on the web or through a phone interview. The study survey and interview for patients or survivors and caregivers were provided in English, traditional/simplified Chinese and Cantonese/Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Korean, and examined factors related to facing metastatic cancer, including quality of life, cultural values, coping, and cancer-related symptoms. Community-based organizations assisted in recruiting participants, developing and translating study materials, and connecting the team to individuals for conducting interviews in Asian languages. Health care professionals who have experience working with CVK patients or survivors with metastatic solid cancer were recruited through referrals from the DAWN Study community advisory board and were interviewed to understand unmet supportive care needs. RESULTS: Recruitment began in November 2020; data collection was completed in October 2022. A total of 66 patients or survivors, 13 caregivers, and 15 health care professionals completed all portions of the study. We completed data management in December 2023 and will submit results for patients or survivors and caregivers to publication outlets in 2024. CONCLUSIONS: Future findings related to this protocol will describe and understand the supportive care needs of CVK patients or survivors with metastatic cancer and will help develop culturally appropriate psychosocial interventions that target known predictors of unmet supportive care needs in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean Americans with metastatic cancer. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/50032.

Piloting a Community-Based, Culturally Adapted Health Promotion Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disabilities in First-Generation Korean Immigrant Families.

Children with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities (ASD/DD) face barriers to participation in health promotion programs due to the lack of available and/or affordable programs and trained staff at recreation centers. Children with ASD/DD in Korean immigrant families are one of the most underserved minority groups due to language, racial/ethnic discrimination, and stigma and shame within their own ethnic community. However, little research is available on development, implementation, and evaluation of a culturally adapted community health promotion program in this population. The purpose of this study is to assess effectiveness of a pilot program for children with ASD/DD from first-generation Korean immigrant families. The pilot study used a quantitative, quasiexperimental design (one-group design with pre- and posttest) following a seven-week health promotion program. We recruited 15 children with ASD/DD, ages nine through 16, from first-generation Korean immigrant families. The findings of the study suggest that the pilot program was effective in gaining nutrition knowledge and increasing physical involvement among participants. Given the fact that Asian immigrants are a fast-growing population and that nearly 75 percent of them were born abroad, development and evaluation of a community-based, culturally adapted health promotion program is urgently needed.

Children's bullying victimization and the acculturative stress of immigrant mothers in Korea: Exploring heterogeneity by mother's country of origin.

OBJECTIVES: Over the past three decades, the number of multicultural families in Korea, defined as a family consisting of a native Korean and a marriage immigrant, has increased significantly. Although bullying victimization among multicultural family youth is rightfully a growing concern, less is known about the effects bullying has on immigrant mothers of children who have been bullying victims. METHOD: Using data from the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study, this study investigates whether children's bullying victimization is associated with immigrant mothers' acculturative stress and whether this association differs depending on mothers' country of origin (China, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries). RESULTS: Fixed effects estimates revealed that children's bullying victimization is positively associated with their immigrant mother's acculturative stress, and this association is robust to controlling for unobserved time-constant individual-level heterogeneity. When stratified by mother's country of origin, the association was larger and statistically significant only among Southeast Asian mothers. No associations were observed among Japanese and Chinese mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that interventions aiming to support bullied children should be expanded to also support their immigrant mothers. Policymakers may wish to consider the specific backgrounds and contexts of immigrant mothers, with special attention to Southeast Asian women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

"My wife made me": motivations for body and beauty work among older Korean and Chinese migrant adults in Australia.

This article examines how older Korean and Chinese migrants living in Perth, Australia, engage in various beauty, grooming and fitness practices to negotiate "successful ageing" in transnational contexts. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 men and women aged between 60 and 89, we examine what social meanings are attached to these practices, and how the transnational context of living in Australia has influenced the participants' perceptions of ageing and presentation of self in later life. Migration in later life is often considered in relation to the 'host' countries values and social practices, which can make it difficult for individuals to settle and feel a sense of belonging especially in later life. In this article, we will illustrate how gender, class, and cultural dispositions intersect and link with possibilities for defining and redefining successful ageing in migrant contexts. This study illustrates how successful ageing emerges as a malleable concept that draws on ideas of an ideal ageing body from the cultural values of the 'home' country, rather than the 'host' country. The findings illustrate how in everyday lived experience, the transnational habitus does not always necessarily result in a 'divided habitus' where the values of the 'home' country and that of the 'host' country are in conflict - even when the migration experience is relatively recent. Quite the contrary, the way the participants utilise everyday beauty, fitness and grooming practices to maintain a future-focused self in the context of 'home' country's age-appropriate body ideals to perform signifiers of 'successful migrant living' point to the positive aspects that appearance management can have on an individual in later life, particularly in migrant contexts.

Exploring the Use of Socially Assistive Robots Among Socially Isolated Korean American Older Adults.

This pilot study explored whether a socially assistive robot (SAR) would have positive effects on Korean American immigrant older adults' health behaviors and emotional well-being and whether the older adults would be receptive to the SAR. A total of 30 participants (age 65+) in a large metropolitan area participated in the study, and each participant was provided a SAR named Hyodol for 4 months and interacted with it in ways that they saw appropriate. We used one-group pre- and post-test design to assess changes between baseline and follow-up in medication adherence, depressive symptoms, loneliness, and disability. Additionally, we employed in-depth qualitative interviews to explore participants' perceptions about the SAR. At post-test, participants showed improved medication adherence, reduced depressive symptoms, and a slightly and statistically nonsignificant decrease in loneliness scores. Qualitative data suggested high adoptability of this particular SAR among the participants.

Development and evaluation of a post-traumatic growth promotion programme for North Korean refugees.

North Korean refugees exposed to traumatic events often experience a high recurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. However, a post-traumatic growth programme has the potential to transform these traumatic events into increasing post-traumatic growth, reduced emotional stress and enhanced well-being. This study investigated the effects of a post-traumatic growth promotion programme on post-traumatic stress disorder recovery among North Korean refugees. Using a non-equivalent control group non-synchronised pretest-posttest design, 60 North Korean refugees who have been in South Korea for 6-8 or 12-13 years were assigned to the experimental (post-traumatic growth promotion programme; n = 30) or control group (post-traumatic growth promotion education brochure; n = 30). The programme comprised group sessions and discussions, each lasting 120 min/session, conducted twice a week for 5 weeks. Mindfulness, anxiety, depression, blood cortisol and post-traumatic growth were assessed at baseline, immediately after intervention and 4 weeks after intervention. The findings showed the programme was effective in significantly increasing post-traumatic growth and decreasing anxiety, depression and cortisol level. The two-way analysis of variance showed a significant interaction between groups and time. Consequently, this post-traumatic growth promotion programme can be utilised as a non-invasive, cost-effective and safe intervention for promoting post-traumatic growth and well-being among North Korean refugees.

Japanese imperial psychiatry in Tokyo: two Korean immigrants in a psychiatric hospital, 1920-1945.

During the first half of the twentieth century, Western psychiatry was quickly absorbed in Japan, particularly the versions from Germany and Austria. By 1940, over 130 psychiatric hospitals were caring for approximately thirty thousand patients in cities, while in rural areas about sixty thousand people still depended on family members for care. Japan's empire expanded during this same period, and many immigrants came to the country. Growth in immigration from Korea was particularly important. Korean immigrants encountered Japanese psychiatric hospitals during the second quarter of the twentieth century, and this paper examines the complex nature of their hospital stays.

Navigating puberty, identity, and race among transnationally, transracially adopted Korean American adolescents.

This exploratory study examined the relation between pubertal timing and dimensions of ethnic-racial identity among adopted Korean Americans raised transracially in White families. The study also examined whether internalized racism moderated the association between pubertal timing and ethnic-racial identity. Adopted Korean American adolescents (N = 202; 108 females; ages 13-19 years) completed measures of pubertal development, ethnic-racial identity, and internalized racism in 2007. There was no significant main effect of pubertal timing for either male or female adolescents. Internalized racism moderated the relation between pubertal timing and ethnic-racial identity clarity (B = -.16, p = .015) among male adolescents. Specifically, earlier pubertal timing was significantly associated with lower ethnic-racial identity clarity for male adolescents with higher levels of internalized racism.

An artificial intelligence model to predict hepatocellular carcinoma risk in Korean and Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Several models have recently been developed to predict risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Our aims were to develop and validate an artificial intelligence-assisted prediction model of HCC risk. METHODS: Using a gradient-boosting machine (GBM) algorithm, a model was developed using 6,051 patients with CHB who received entecavir or tenofovir therapy from 4 hospitals in Korea. Two external validation cohorts were independently established: Korean (5,817 patients from 14 Korean centers) and Caucasian (1,640 from 11 Western centers) PAGE-B cohorts. The primary outcome was HCC development. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort and the 2 validation cohorts, cirrhosis was present in 26.9%-50.2% of patients at baseline. A model using 10 parameters at baseline was derived and showed good predictive performance (c-index 0.79). This model showed significantly better discrimination than previous models (PAGE-B, modified PAGE-B, REACH-B, and CU-HCC) in both the Korean (c-index 0.79 vs. 0.64-0.74; all p <0.001) and Caucasian validation cohorts (c-index 0.81 vs. 0.57-0.79; all p <0.05 except modified PAGE-B, p = 0.42). A calibration plot showed a satisfactory calibration function. When the patients were grouped into 4 risk groups, the minimal-risk group (11.2% of the Korean cohort and 8.8% of the Caucasian cohort) had a less than 0.5% risk of HCC during 8 years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This GBM-based model provides the best predictive power for HCC risk in Korean and Caucasian patients with CHB treated with entecavir or tenofovir. LAY SUMMARY: Risk scores have been developed to predict the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B. We developed and validated a new risk prediction model using machine learning algorithms in 13,508 antiviral-treated patients with chronic hepatitis B. Our new model, based on 10 common baseline characteristics, demonstrated superior performance in risk stratification compared with previous risk scores. This model also identified a group of patients at minimal risk of developing HCC, who could be indicated for less intensive HCC surveillance.

Interactions between Polygenic Risk Scores, Dietary Pattern, and Menarche Age with the Obesity Risk in a Large Hospital-Based Cohort.

Obese Asians are more susceptible to metabolic diseases than obese Caucasians of the same body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that the genetic variants associated with obesity risk interact with the lifestyles of middle-aged and elderly adults, possibly allowing the development of personalized interventions based on genotype. We aimed to examine this hypothesis in a large city hospital-based cohort in Korea. The participants with cancers, thyroid diseases, chronic kidney disease, or brain-related diseases were excluded. The participants were divided into case and control according to their BMI: ≥25 kg/m2 (case; n = 17,545) and <25 kg/m2 (control; n = 36,283). The genetic variants that affected obesity risk were selected using a genome-wide association study, and the genetic variants that interacted with each other were identified by generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis. The selected genetic variants were confirmed in the Ansan/Ansung cohort, and polygenetic risk scores (PRS)-nutrient interactions for obesity risk were determined. A high BMI was associated with a high-fat mass (odds ratio (OR) = 20.71) and a high skeletal muscle-mass index (OR = 3.38). A high BMI was positively related to metabolic syndrome and its components, including lipid profiles, whereas the initial menstruation age was inversely associated with a high BMI (OR = 0.78). The best model with 5-SNPs included SEC16B_rs543874, DNAJC27_rs713586, BDNF_rs6265, MC4R_rs6567160, and GIPR_rs1444988703. The high PRS with the 5-SNP model was positively associated with an obesity risk of 1.629 (1.475-1.798) after adjusting for the covariates. The 5-SNP model interacted with the initial menstruation age, fried foods, and plant-based diet for BMI risk. The participants with a high PRS also had a higher obesity risk when combined with early menarche, low plant-based diet, and a high fried-food intake than in participants with late menarche, high plant-based diet, and low fried-food intake. In conclusion, people with a high PRS and earlier menarche age are recommended to consume fewer fried foods and a more plant-based diet to decrease obesity risk. This result can be applied to personalized nutrition for preventing obesity.

How Does COVID-19 Differ from the Flu/Cold? A Study of Multilevel Information Seeking among Korean Immigrant Women in the U.S.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to understand COVID-19 information seeking among Korean immigrant women in comparison to their flu/cold information seeking. In particular, the study aimed to examine: (1) the levels of information sought regarding both COVID-19 and the flu/cold, and (2) the content of information discussed at each level. Methods: We analyzed the posts on Missy USA--one of the largest Korean online communities for married Korean immigrant women. Two sets of data, one for COVID-19 (n=726) and the other for the flu/cold (n=50), were analyzed with codes at different levels, which were adapted from the social-ecological model. Results: Applying the social-ecological model, we found that about 80% of information regarding the flu/cold and about 60% of COVID-19 information was concentrated at individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels. Information seeking at the community level was more frequent for COVID-19 than for the flu/cold. Conclusions: Our finding that Korean immigrant women primarily sought information regarding COVID-19 serves as a theoretical contribution at the transnational level, which might be relevant for immigrant women during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Health risks posed by social and linguistic isolation in older Korean Americans.

OBJECTIVES: Inspired by the notion of double jeopardy positing the dual disadvantage in the coexistence of different sources of vulnerability, the present study examined health risks posed by social and linguistic isolation in older Korean Americans. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study, using a four-cell classification to compare isolation types (no isolation, social isolation only, linguistic isolation only, and dual isolation) and to examine their impacts on physical (self-rated health), mental (mental distress), and cognitive (cognitive performance) health. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Data are from the Study of Older Korean Americans survey of Korean immigrants aged 60 or older (n = 2032), conducted in five states in the United States (California, New York, Texas, Hawaii, and Florida). MEASUREMENT: Social isolation was indexed by the Lubben Social Network Scale-6; linguistic isolation, by a question on English-speaking ability. Physical, mental, and cognitive health were indicated by a single-item self-rating of health, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale 6, and the Mini-Mental State Examination, respectively. RESULTS: The dual-isolation group exhibited notable sociodemographic and health disadvantages. The odds of having fair/poor health, mental distress, and cognitive impairment were 2.21-3.17 times higher in the dual-isolation group than in the no-isolation group. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that both social relationships and language proficiency are key elements for older immigrants' social connectedness and integration, the deprivation of which puts them at heightened risk in multiple dimensions of health.

Immunoglobulin gene rearrangement in Koreans with multiple myeloma: Clonality assessment and repertoire analysis using next-generation sequencing.

INTRODUCTION: We assessed the applicability of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based IGH/IGK clonality testing and analyzed the repertoire of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) or immunoglobulin kappa light chain (IGK) gene usage in Korean patients with multiple myeloma (MM) for the first time. METHODS: Fifty-nine bone marrow samples from 57 Korean patients with MM were analyzed, and NGS-based clonality testing that targeted the IGH and IGK genes was performed using IGH FR1 and IGK primer sets. RESULTS: Clonal IGH and IGK rearrangements were observed in 74.2% and 67.7% of samples from Korean patients with kappa-restricted MM, respectively (90.3% had one or both), and in 60.7% and 95.5% of samples from those with lambda-restricted MM, respectively (85.7% had one or both). In total, 88.1% of samples from Koreans with MM had clonal IGH and/or IGK rearrangement. Clonal rearrangement was not significantly associated with the bone marrow plasma cells as a proportion of all BM lymphoid cells. IGHV3-9 (11.63%) and IGHV4-31 (9.30%) were the most frequently reported IGHV genes and were more common in Koreans with MM than in Western counterparts. IGHD3-10 and IGHD3-3 (13.95% each) were the most frequent IGHD genes; IGHD3-3 was more common in Koreans with MM. No IGK rearrangement was particularly prevalent, but single IGKV-J rearrangements were less common in Koreans with kappa-restricted MM than in Western counterparts. IGKV4-1 was less frequent in Koreans regardless of light chain type. Otherwise, the usages of the IGH V, D, and J genes and of the IGK gene were like those observed in previous Western studies. CONCLUSION: NGS-based IGH/IGK clonality testing ought to be applicable to most Koreans with MM. The overrepresentation of IGHV3-9, IGHV4-31, and IGHD3-3 along with the underrepresentation of IGKV4-1 and the differences in IGK gene rearrangement types suggest the existence of ethnicity-specific variations in this disease.

Identification of Three Novel Susceptibility Loci for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Koreans in an Extended Genome-Wide Association Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Genome-wide association studies [GWAS] of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] in multiple populations have identified over 240 susceptibility loci. We previously performed a largest-to-date Asian-specific IBD GWAS to identify two new IBD risk loci and confirm associations with 28 established loci. To identify additional susceptibility loci in Asians, we expanded our previous study design by doubling the case size with an additional dataset of 1726 cases and 378 controls. METHODS: An inverse-variance fixed-effects meta-analysis was performed between the previous and the new GWAS dataset, comprising a total of 3195 cases and 4419 controls, followed by replication in an additional 1088 cases and 845 controls. RESULTS: The meta-analysis of Korean GWAS identified one novel locus for ulcerative colitis at rs76227733 on 10q24 [pcombined = 6.56 × 10-9] and two novel loci for Crohn's disease [CD] at rs2240751 on 19p13 [pcombined = 3.03 × 10-8] and rs6936629 on 6q22 [pcombined = 3.63 × 10-8]. Pathway-based analysis of GWAS data using MAGMA showed that the MHC and antigenic stimulus-related pathways were more significant in Korean CD, whereas cytokine and transcription factor-related pathways were more significant in European CD. Phenotype variance explained by the polygenic risk scores derived from Korean data explained up to 14% of the variance of CD whereas those derived from European data explained 10%, emphasizing the need for large-scale genetic studies in this population. CONCLUSIONS: The identification of novel loci not previously associated with IBD suggests the importance of studying IBD genetics in diverse populations.

Disaggregated mortality from gastrointestinal cancers in Asian Americans: Analysis of United States death records.

Asian Americans (AAs) are heterogeneous, and aggregation of diverse AA populations in national reporting may mask high-risk groups. Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers constitute one-third of global cancer mortality, and an improved understanding of GI cancer mortality by disaggregated AA subgroups may inform future primary and secondary prevention strategies. Using national mortality records from the United States from 2003 to 2017, we report age-standardized mortality rates, standardized mortality ratios and annual percent change trends from GI cancers (esophageal, gastric, colorectal, liver and pancreatic) for the six largest AA subgroups (Asian Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese). Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) are used as the reference population. We found that mortality from GI cancers demonstrated nearly 3-fold difference between the highest (Koreans, 61 per 100 000 person-years) and lowest (Asian Indians, 21 per 100 000 person-years) subgroups. The distribution of GI cancer mortality demonstrates high variability between subgroups, with Korean Americans demonstrating high mortality from gastric cancer (16 per 100 000), and Vietnamese Americans demonstrating high mortality from liver cancer (19 per 100 000). Divergent temporal trends emerged, such as increasing liver cancer burden in Vietnamese Americans, which exacerbated existing mortality differences. There exist striking differences in the mortality burden of GI cancers by disaggregated AA subgroups. These data highlight the need for disaggregated data reporting, and the importance of race-specific and personalized strategies of screening and prevention.